Attacks on Manhattan investigation show GOP still can’t break from Trump

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Amid all the other uncertainties surrounding the possible indictment of Donald Trump, the flurry of events has made one thing unequivocally clear: the former president remains the center of the GOP universe.

The rush of GOP leaders to preemptively condemn Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s potential indictment of Trump as inherently illegitimate and politically motivated underscores the party leadership’s ongoing reluctance to separate itself from, much less criticize, Trump in almost any way. Republican leaders in the House have quickly moved in the opposite direction, demanding documents from Bragg and promising to investigate the investigators.

These rapid-fire events have been a reality check for those in the party who believed, or at least hoped, that Trump’s influence over the GOP had peaked. CONTINUED

Ronald Brownstein, CNN

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More Americans See U.S. as Leading Economic Power

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More Americans now than in 2021, 44% to 37%, believe the United States is the leading economic power in the world. That seven-percentage-point increase is nearly matched by an eight-point decline (from 50% to 42%) in the percentage identifying China as the top economic power.

Americans’ views of the leading economic power have shifted in recent years. The U.S. and China now essentially tie, but China led by a significant margin in 2021 and the U.S. did in 2020. In most prior years, China led, although the U.S. was the overwhelming choice when the question was first asked in 2000. CONTINUED

Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup

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The Strange Case of Iraq Syndrome

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… Iraq syndrome holds that Americans are casualty-phobic: they will support a military operation only if the cost in American lives is minimal. As a consequence, U.S. policymakers who wish to use force must fight as bloodlessly as possible and be quick to abandon their commitments if the adversary proves able to fight back and kill U.S. soldiers. The politically expedient position, in a world afflicted by Iraq syndrome, is a quasi-isolationist one, since the public is not willing to underwrite the costs of lasting international commitments.

But as prevalent as it is among politicians, Iraq syndrome does not appear to be as widespread among the broader public. … Polling suggests that rather than reflexively opposing war, the U.S. public makes reasoned trade-offs when deciding whether to support the use of force. Polls taken before and after the Iraq war show that the public’s willingness to pay the human cost of war depends on both the importance of the mission for U.S. security and the likelihood that the mission will succeed. CONTINUED

Peter Feaver (Duke), Christopher Gelpi (Ohio State) & Jason Reifler (U. of Exeter), Foreign Affairs

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Republicans’ views of the US have become more pessimistic, polling shows

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Heading into the next presidential election, an analysis of CNN polls shows that Republicans have reverted to the deeply negative national outlook they held prior to Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016. They again are convinced the nation is in decline, and more often defensive against demographic and cultural changes in US society. …

In CNN’s latest polling, released this week, the share of Republican-aligned adults who said the country’s best days are over had skyrocketed to 70%, while the percentage saying that America’s culture was threatened by increasing racial and ethnic diversity rebounded to 38%. In a question not asked in 2019, a broad 78% majority of Republican-aligned Americans also say that society’s values on sexual orientation and gender identity are changing for the worse. CONTINUED

Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN

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Los Angeles strongly approves of Mayor Bass but skeptical about fixing homelessness, poll shows

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On the eve of her 100th day in office, Mayor Karen Bass enjoys strong approval ratings among Angelenos — a reservoir of goodwill that will be crucial for the new mayor during uphill battles ahead. Half of Angelenos approve of the job Bass is doing so far, while just 14% say they disapprove, according to a Suffolk University/Los Angeles Times poll conducted March 9-12. A little more than a third remain undecided. …

White and Black residents gave Bass slightly higher marks than Latino residents, though all three groups hovered near the 50% average. The poll suggested Bass’ support may be weaker among Asian residents, but the small size of the sample doesn’t allow a definite answer. CONTINUED

Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times [via Yahoo]

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Voters of color are a big reason Trump leads the GOP primary

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Former President Donald Trump holds an average double-digit advantage over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in national 2024 Republican primary surveys. That, in itself, isn’t notable given Trump, the frontrunner, has been ahead of DeSantis (by far his nearest competitor or potential competitor) since polling began about the race.

But what may surprise is how Trump is ahead. An average of CNN/SSRS and Quinnipiac University polls released this week reveals that Trump’s lead may, in large part, be because of his clear edge among potential Republican primary voters of color. CONTINUED

Harry Enten, CNN

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